April 13, 2011
Particularly when they think they can get high-profile visits and unilateral concessions in exchange.
Does this sound familiar?
From ABC News:
An American citizen has been detained in North Korea for several months, the State Department said today.
"I don't have any details on what this individual was doing in North Korea. But we would call on the government of North Korea to release this citizen on humanitarian grounds. And we would ask that they respect and treat this citizen in a manner consistent with international human rights law," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.
As regards Castro's hostage, American development worker Alan Gross -- the blog Penultimos Dias has interviewed Spanish journalist (from the newspaper El Mundo) Carlos Hernando, who was arrested and expelled from the island last week for associating with Cuban pro-democracy bloggers and musicians.
During his interrogation by Castro's secret police, he was warned:
"You know that Alan Gross is in prison. We can also put you in prison."
(Note for opponents of USAID programs: Hernando is neither an American contractor nor grantee of any sort).
Reflecting on his experience, Hernando says of the Castro regime and its intimidation tactics:
"It was a very bad experience, but I suffered the most upon seeing the fear in the faces of those who know me after. [That regime] is a mafia. I know how to deal with a State, but I don't know how to deal with a mafia."
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario